Help understanding radio regulations

[TonyC]

Hi everyone,

I'm doing everything I can to try and negotiate this minefield... I'm hoping that someone with more experience of these things can make this clearer.

After much speculation, it looks like a handheld transceiver will be the best way to go (for the new Bocian syndicate). Officially, we need a licence for this portable.

It starts to get tricky when you check out the application form for a CAA radio licence here

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/DAP1902enabled.pdf

It seems you need to fill in an approval number for the chosen device... A CAA approval number if before 2003 or an EASA number after 2003. Problem is, it doesn't seem that EASA have added any handheld units to their approved list, including the radios we use at the field!

Has anyone come across this problem before? If you have a handheld, do you have a licence (separate to your fixed radio licence) and if so, what do you put in the approval number field?

Is this just another example of Europe getting it all crossed up? Do I buy or borrow a radio and not worry about the paperwork until it makes more sense? Or do I just get an old radio so I know it's got a CAA approval number?

Can anyone shed any light on this?

HELP!

[Pete G]

The radio licensing people have the approval nuimbers for most radios, IcOMs etc are no problem, just give them a call.The BGA probably hold them too.

[Kilo Fox]

Basically the following rules apply:
If you have a radio that can transmit on any frequency other than the 4 dedicted gliding frequencies you need to have a radio operators licence, an installation certificate for the fit into the glider and of course a radio licence (£20 py). So even if you buy a handheld you will need at least 2 of these! If you can find a radio that only has the 4 frequencies selectable then you can chat away quite happily otherwise you could be breaking the law. You can buy a handheld and buy a licence and use it on the dedicated gliding frequencies but you will still be in breach of the law because it can transmit on the other 720 or 760 frequencies and at the moment you don't have a radio operators licence!! Nothing is ever easy.

[TonyC]

Then it gets even more complicated when no handheld since 2003 has been officially approved for use in an aircraft...

It looks like we're back to old radios guys, either a delcom or an old crystal set!

[Connor]

Can I ask a silly question, how is all the policed Kev?

[Pete G]

Hi Connor well now that all Gliders are registered with the CAA and all the gliders equipment is listed they know whether you have a radio or not bad times

[Connor]

Ah I see, thanks for clarifying it too me Pete.

[Kilo Fox]

Tony, there is a discussion on GP net at the moment which I believe is something Mark started. Good info on there but doesn't change the price of fish.

[TonyC]

No, it seems to confirm what I thought... The only way under the new EASA regulations to use a portable radio is to ensure it is old enough to have been approved by the CAA...

What a twisted and beauraucratic world we live in when you can buy a perfectly good transceiver which is acceptable anywhere in the world except Europe, but because EASA haven't put a system in place to approve handhelds, we can't legally use them here

While I have your ear Kev, the Dittel glider radio which is advertised on GP.net has four frequencies, I assume these should be the four gliding frequencies that we wouldn't need a licence for. The only thing is, at Crowland we use 129.975, and the four fitted to this radio don't include 129.975...

Is 129.975 a permitted frequency? Or if we got a glider radio with four frequencies not including 129.975, would it be redundant because we wouldn't be able to talk to Crowland Base anyway?

[Nick White]

Hi Tony. I may as well add my two pennyworth in case it helps - or confuses even further! The four frequencies used exclusively for gliding are: 130.1, 130.125, 130.4 and the 129.975 although used by us, is strictly speaking, limited to local control up to a ten nautical mile radius and up to 3000ft. Beyond that, for people going cross country for instance, we often switch to 130.1. If your prospective radio ONLY has these frequencies available then you can operate it without a licence. If it doesn't have these then I would suspect that it has other frequencies available, in which case you would need an operators' licence to use it. If you go through the process of registering your radio on the internet you reach a site which lists hundreds of the buggers, so would think you can find yours somewhere! Good luck.